To Pick Up The Pieces
by morningdawn202
Summary: When the unthinkable happens to the Straw Hat Pirates they are left wondering how to pick up the pieces of a dream that was never really theirs in the first place.


**This is just a little plot bunny that has been hopping around in my head for a while now. Hope everyone enjoys!**

The sky was crying. Big fat drops fell down, drenching the little group of clad figure surrounding the bleak wooden box

There were two very obvious things about the box. The first was that it was a coffin, detailed simply with a design that strongly resembled a straw hat. The second was that the coffin was far too small. It was the resting place of a boy, not a man.

One of the bystanders, a girl with long orange hair was being held by another woman, this one older. They were both crying, their tears tasting vaguely like salt.

A man with a very large nose held a small looking creature with little horns in his arms, and both were turned away from the coffin, as if they were not able to even look.

The very tall man with blond hair stood over the casket looking down at it. He wasn't crying but his eyes were glazed over, unseeing. A long cigarette hung from the corner of his mouth, the smoke wafting up to be lost in the thick dark clouds.

A skeleton stood next to a very muscular blue haired man, muttering about how the best always died too young while the blue haired man sobbed.

Finally, last of all, stood a tall man with green hair and three swords hanging on his waist. He wasn't crying; his face was completely unreadable. He stood at the casket's head, body shaking just slightly, eyes fixed on the straw hat symbol.

The group pushed the box into the water because they knew that would be what he would have wanted. Their captain had possessed a relentless love of the ocean never mind the fact that he was physically quite unable to swim. He would have liked the poetry in spending eternity under the crashing waves.

The eight figures watched from the shore as the casket was carried out to sea, likely never to be seen again.

They were silent for several long moments, the grief nearly tangible in the thick air, threatening to choke them all.

Finally the orange haired girl asked the question that had been lingering in all their minds, unspoken. "So…." she said reluctantly, "What now?"

The green haired man shook even harder and with a cry of uncontrollable rage unhooked his three swords and flung them into the water with all his might.

His seven companions stared at him in horror but he didn't look at them.

"We failed him", the man said bitterly, self-hatred evident in his voice, "Now nothing."

Chopper stayed on that fateful beach for several long weeks before finally deciding that he still had something inside him that wanted to be a doctor. So one day he simply set off in a little boat with Usopp; both hoping to find someone who needed their help.

Robin left imminently after the makeshift funeral to retirement in a little house with a large garden to write a series of books about a quite unique group of pirate led by a young boy with a straw hat and a never ending smile.

Brook decided to find inspiration to write his own music and set off to find it, swearing to dedicate his best song to his deceased captain.

Sanji got a job as the head cook in a prestigious restaurant, hoping to one day open up his own. So maybe he did tend to favour women and pirates. Nobody would put two and two together right?

Zoro… well Zoro simply disappeared. Nobody knew where he was or what he was doing. Roronoa Zoro had become just as much a ghost as his captain.

As for Nami she hadn't really been heard from either. Nami was on a mission that she knew Luffy would have wanted.

Zoro stared out at the shifting blue sea that stretched endlessly out in front of him, holding a near empty jug of beer in one hand. His vision was all blurry but he was alert as footsteps slowly drew closer to him.

"So this is where you've been all this time" announced a high pitched voice behind him, "I probably should have guessed. Sure would have saved me a lot of time. This was where the two of you meet right?"

Zoro reached up to pinch the bridge of this nose. "Why are you here?" he asked sullenly.

Nami plopped down beside the green haired man and said chirpily, "Well you've been gone for months. Figured I should probably go find you to make sure the world's greatest pirate hunter hadn't gone and done something stupid."

"Just go away" moaned Zoro, taking another long swig from the mug.

His companion stayed silent for several moments before saying softly, "He would be so disappointed in you, you know. In all of us really."

Hot anger burned over Zoro. "Oh yeah?" he snarled "and how the hell would you know what he would have wanted?"

"Because I knew him" Nami replied harshly "and so did you. Do you really think that he would have wanted you to waste away like this? The only things that mattered to Luffy as much as his dream were his family and their dreams. Now he's gone and we've all given up. "

"It was Luffy's dream, not ours" ground out Zoro, "It doesn't matter anymore."

Nami leaped to her feet, shock crossing her face. "How can you say that?" she cried, "We both know that your dream became Luffy's dream a long time ago!"

"I was meant to become the world's greatest swordsman and I was meant to belong to the King of the Pirates!" exclaimed Zoro, also jumping to his feet, "That will never happen now."

"Maybe not quite like that" Nami admitted softly, "but we can still live our dreams. We can still live our dreams for Luffy. I think that would have been what he wanted, don't you?"

Without waiting for a response, Nami silently stood and strode away leaving Zoro to his thoughts.

A few days later there was a slow and deliberate knock on Nami's door. When she pulled it open Zoro was revealed, hands in his pockets, his face set and determined.

The young woman leaned on the doorway and raised an eyebrow. "Well?" she asked.

Zoro was glaring at her but Nami noticed that for the first time in a very long time those eyes held a gleam.

"I'm going to need to get some swords," he said sullenly.

Nami grinned and reached for a large pack that leaned against the door. Zoro raised his eyebrows as she pulled out his three swords, the same ones he had thrown off the cliff all those months ago.

He took them with silent thanks, not even bothering to ask how she had managed to get them back. Zoro the Pirate Hunter pulled out one of the polished swords and felt the familiar grip.

He turned back to Nami with a set face. "Let's go get out crew," he said, "We have work to do."

"For Luffy?" asked Nami with a catlike grin.

"For Luffy."

**Awww poor Luffy! Please leave a review to let me know that you thought!**

**¬morningdawn202**


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